More than 30 top practitioners, academics and private-sector leaders joined 20 journalists for two days of candid discussion on the lingering failures and inequities of the system and the economic impact those failures have had –not just on those who are released from prison, but on their families and neighborhoods— at the 9th annual John Jay/Harry Frank Guggenheim Symposium on Crime in America, at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.

The Feb 10-11 symposium, sponsored by John Jay’s Center on Media, Crime and Justice (CMCJ), which also publishes The Crime Report, is entitled “Justice and Prosperity: Reviving the Economic Potential of America’s Justice-Involved Communities and Individuals (and the Role of the Press)”

This conference highlighted innovative programs private-public partnerships underway and the research data supporting them, as well as pointed towards some of the bipartisan approaches that are changing the nation’s approach to criminal justice.

William J. Bratton, the newly appointed Commissioner for the New York Police Department and one of the pioneers of community policing, delivered the opening remarks. Other speakers included: James Craig the chief of the Detroit Police Department and Dana Redd, the mayor of Camden, NJ.

Other panels focused on rebuilding communities with the help of the private sector, and on entrepreneurs who have created new economic opportunities for the formerly incarcerated. Speakers included Carol Naughton, of Purpose Built Communities, an Atlanta-based not-for profit; Navjeet Bal, of Nixon Peabody, a Boston law firm working on public-finance projects; and Frederick Hutson, founder of Pigeonly, a service for ex-inmates.

Three of the country’s most prominent corrections bosses addressed the role of corrections in preparing inmates for a return to workforce: Rick Raemisch of Colorado, Jeffery Beard of California and Brad Livingston of Texas.

Rounding out the conference was panel on policing the Web and balancing economic and privacy rights. Speakers include: Tim Ryan, Managing Director of Kroll Advisory Solutions, former head of the FBI’s cybercrime squad; Carmen Ortiz, U.S. Attorney, District of Massachusetts; and Tyson Johnson, a leading cyberfraud investigator for Bright Planet.

Resources from the Conference

US Crime Trends and InflationDownload fileUnderstanding Justice StatisticsDownload fileUnderstanding the Crime Decline in New York City: Preeti ChauhanDownload fileCRIMINAL JUSTICE NEWS COVERAGE IN 2013 A Year ‘Dominated’ by Terrorism and Cyber SnoopingDownload file

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Alison Smith, Magic Valley (Idaho)Read the full story »Achieving peace with honor in the war on drugs
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Greg Barnes, The Fayetteville ObserverRead the full story »States Push for Prison Sentence Overhaul; Prosecutors Push Back
Martin Kaste, NPRRead the full story »Pennsylvania’s Lethal Injection Fiasco
Christopher Moraff, The Daily BeastRead the full story »For Colorado parolee, life after decades of prison begins with survival
Andrea Dukakis, Colorado Public RadioRead the full story »After decades in prison, first day outside a shock for Colorado parolee
Andrea Dukakis, Colorado Public RadioRead the full story »In new life outside, Colorado parolee stumbles — then succeeds
Andrea Dukakis, Colorado Public RadioRead the full story »Colorado parole officers balance oversight, encouragement
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Conference Audio

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